Sourdough Pretzels

My vegan Sourdough Pretzels are fluffy and light as a cloud. You won’t be able to stop eating them, which is one good reason to make these asap.

Pretzels may or may not make you thirsty, but the idea of a twisted, chubby, salty cloud of dough baked to golden perfection is enough to make just about anyone hungry.

My sourdough starter, George, has been begging to go into something delicious for a while now, and I thought I’d make my vegan Sourdough Pretzels for Jay, who loves them, and also update this recipe, which I first shared on this blog almost exactly six years ago.

I adapted this recipe all those years ago from the King Arthur Flour website, and it is a simple and very effective one, which is why I’ve stuck with it. I did need to veganize it because the original contained milk powder, but these vegan pretzels turn out so gorgeous, you can be sure that nothing is lost in translation. They are soft and fluffy and super-delicious, and if you have a kid — or are a kid at heart — you will find that they disappear in minutes.

If you don’t already have a sourdough starter, what’s stopping you? This is a perfect time to make one, when the warm weather is still sticking around. Sourdough relies on capturing natural yeast from the environment, and a Fall kitchen is likely to have a good deal of yeast floating around, especially if you do a lot of baking. I love the very thought of capturing wild yeast from the air– it makes me feel like one of those superwomen from old times who did everything from scratch. Plus, I get to eat these pretzels and lots of other good stuff, like sourdough waffles, sourdough focaccia, sourdough sandwich bread, and much more.

If you have an aversion to fermented foods (Desi does), this sourdough pretzel (and most sourdough breads) does not have a sour flavor. Instead, the sourdough adds dimension and flavor and a wonderful texture to breads, not to mention good health, because you do know sourdough is probiotic and therefore really, really good for you?

Place all the pretzel ingredients in a bowl and, using your hand or a stand mixer, mix well. Knead the dough until it has a smooth consistency and can be formed into a round ball. It should not be too stiff-- if that's the case, add a little water, a tiny bit at a time.

Place the ball of dough in a lightly greased bowl, turning over once to coat, cover with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap, and set aside in a warm place for about 45 minutes. The dough will rise a little.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Place the dough on a lightly greased surface and fold a few times to deflate the air. Divide into 12 equal parts.

Take one part and cover the rest with a kitchen towel to keep them from drying. Roll the dough into a ball and then into a rope, tapering the ends. You want a rope around 18 inches in length.

Take the ends of the rope and criss-cross them to make a loop. Twist one more time, then bring the ends back over the top of the pretzel and tuck them in.

Place the pretzels, about 2 inches apart, on a lightly greased cookie sheet.

Make the glaze by dissolving the sugar in water. Brush the tops of the pretzels with this mixture and then sprinkle on some salt. I used fine-grained Himalayan sea salt because I didn't want big particles of salt on my pretzels, but use coarse salt if you wish.

Bake the pretzels for 27 minutes or until the tops are lightly golden-brown.

Recipe Notes

These are perfect on their own, but dipped in some Mojo de Ajo, they are divine.

Gayatri, I haven’t, mainly because I can’t find suran here. I think they do have a frozen version at the Indian store and I’ll pick it up the next time. I love suran, and I can imagine the cutlets must be delicious.

Omigosh! What perfect timing! I have a batch of sourdough “cooking” as I type! It’s a different recipe, from Renae at “i eat food”: http://ieatfood.net/2008/07/12/sourdough-starter/ . I’m on Day 4 and it’s bubbly, smells sour, and I’m so excited to try it. Your pretzels will be my first bake this weekend… thank you, Vaishali!

i am always scared of starting up a sourdough starter. coz i wouldnt know what to do with so much of it! i just let the dough sit for 2-3 days for the effect 🙂i am sucker for fresh bread and these pretzels look extremely inviting!

Hi Anon, I did start a wholewheat sourdough starter, but I got terribly busy around that time and neglected it and it didn’t quite work out. For the time being I am just using all-purpose. If you do want a whole-wheat starter and already have some white flour starter on hand, I’d advise starting with a couple of tablespoons of the white flour starter and feeding it with a cup of whole-wheat flour.If you are beginning the starter right now, it would be better to just go half and half: half whole-wheat, half all-purpose. Then, as your starter develops, continue feeding it with just whole wheat.

Hi. I’m newly vegan and loving it! I’ve also been on a bread making spree lately and came across your sourdouch bread recipe, which led me to your starter. If you always add back what you take, isn’t it kind of a never ending supply? Won’t it eventually spoil?

Yes, it’s definitely addictive! I’m thrilled to have discovered your recipes. And thank you so much for replying!! I’ve asked questions on other sites and never hear back. Sourdough bread is next on my list 🙂

Do you not feed your starter? This was my first time making one, and I used your recipe, but all the other recipes I’ve researched talk about “feeding” their starter, and you made no mention of it in your article. Did you just assume people knew they had to feed it? Or does your specific recipe not call for feeding? I’m so confused!!

Also, can you use the starter sooner than 3 days? Mine is just approaching 24 hours old, and I really want to start baking! Your input on these matters would be most appreciated!

You need to feed the starter after you use some– add roughly the same amount of flour and water as what you remove, otherwise, of course, your starter will deplete and you won’t have any left. You could use your starter earlier but you won’t get all the benefits of a good sourdough starter, including the flavor. I would strongly advise waiting three days.